59: The Inquiry into the Heart Stele, wholesale transformation into a divine being!

Myriad Dao Divine Sect, Sect Master Hall.

Chu Xuanjin rubbed the space between his eyebrows, feeling a bit of a headache.

The argument below had already lasted for nearly an hour.

"Sect Master! This old man still says the same thing: Heart-Nature comes first! No matter how good the talent, if the heart is not upright, it will be the root of disaster for our Sect!"

Transmission Elder Shi Potian had a stern face and spoke with conviction, refusing to yield an inch.

"Old Stone, you're wrong there," artifact hall elder Tie Kuang countered in a booming voice. "A piece of divine iron ore, even with some Impurities, can be tempered into a Treasure Artifact in my hands! But if you give me a piece of rotten mud, no matter how great my skill, I can't refine anything out of it! Talent is the foundation!"

"Elder Tie is mistaken; in Alchemy and Artifact Refining, Heart-Nature is most important..." Elder Shen Qingyan of the Alchemy Hall spoke softly but with a clear viewpoint.

"Fighting only depends on whose fist is harder!" Law Enforcement Elder Enforcement Elder took a swig of wine and interjected lazily.

Yun Tianqing and Lin Canghai, the two Branch Hall Masters, stood to the side, unable to even get a word in.

They watched these terrifying existences whose auras far surpassed their own, arguing until they were red in the face over the matter of recruiting disciples; in their hearts, there was nothing but pure shock.

Chu Xuanjin's head throbbed from listening.

He had originally thought that by calling these professionals together, they could come up with a foolproof plan for him.

As it turned out, he had just invited trouble upon himself.

He waved his hand, interrupting everyone's argument.

"Stop arguing."

Inside the hall, it instantly became quiet.

Everyone's gaze converged on that high-seated throne.

Chu Xuanjin leaned against the back of his chair, shifting into a more comfortable position.

He suddenly remembered something.

"System."

With a thought...

"Opening the mountain gates to recruit disciples—is there a foolproof plan?"

[Ding! Core requirement for the Host's Sect development detected!]

[Generating the optimal solution for the Host... Solution generation complete!]

[Option 1: Internal Promotion.]

[Option 2: External Recruitment.]

[To assist the Host in completing the Sect's expansion, a strategic-level Sect treasure is specially rewarded: [heart-questioning dao stele] * 1!]

[[heart-questioning dao stele]: This stele originates from the beginning of the Great Dao and can be erected in the Sect square. Any seeker of the Dao only needs to press their palm against the stele to measure their four comprehensive potentials: [Root Bone], [Comprehension Ability], [Heart-Nature], and [Luck]. Potential ranges from low to high, divided into seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.]

[Note: This stele can automatically absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and does not require the Host to provide energy.]

Chu Xuanjin's eyes lit up.

Wasn't that it?

One step to settle it all, fair to everyone.

He cleared his throat and looked at the several Elders below who were still waiting for his instructions.

"I have long been aware of your concerns."

His voice became distant and mysterious.

"My Myriad Dao Divine Sect is inherited from the Primordial Era; for recruiting Disciples, we naturally have our Sect's unique methods."

He slowly stood up and swept his wide sleeves.

Buzz—

On the central square of the Myriad Dao Divine Mountain, a giant stone stele a hundred zhang tall, carved entirely from unknown white jade, tore through the Void Realm and crashed down!

There was no text on the stone stele, only countless profound Dao Patterns slowly circulating.

An aura originating from the Dao's Origin, impartial and vast, instantly enveloped the entire divine mountain.

The several Elders inside the hall saw this through the doors and all stood up from their seats in shock!

"This... this is..."

For the first time, a look of shock appeared on Shi Potian's face.

"Such terrifying dao rhyme! This object... this object is definitely no ordinary item!" Tie Kuang's eyes were full of obsession and fanaticism.

Chu Xuanjin stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he had only brought out a trivial little toy.

"This is the [heart-questioning dao stele]."

"All who wish to enter my Sect, whether internal or external, must question their hearts before this stele."

"This stele does not look at cultivation or background; it only measures four attributes: Root Bone, Comprehension Ability, Heart-Nature, and Luck."

"Potential will reveal itself, and the superior and inferior will be immediately apparent."

Looking at the shocked faces below, he continued.

"From today onwards, the Myriad Dao Divine Sect opens its internal promotion channels."

"Any Disciples from our two Branch Halls, whether internal or external, who can light up a cyan glow or higher on the heart-questioning dao stele will be eligible for the assessment."

"Upon passing the assessment, they will be officially promoted to Outer Sect Disciples of the Myriad Dao Divine Sect."

"If there are brilliant talents who can light up blue or even purple light, they can be personally assessed by you four Elders. Those who pass can become Inner Sect Disciples, or even... Legacy Candidates."

At these words, Yun Tianqing and Lin Canghai's bodies trembled violently!

They looked at each other, seeing uncontrollable ecstasy in each other's eyes!

What a monumental blessing!

This was equivalent to opening a path to the heavens for those tens of thousands of Disciples, leading to a true immortal Sect!

"Sect Master!"

Without hesitation, the two knelt on the ground together, their voices choking with emotion.

"The Sect Master's great kindness! We... we are willing to go through fire and water for the Sect, and will not hesitate even at ten thousand deaths!"

The four Elders, including Shi Potian, also bowed toward the heart-questioning dao stele.

"The Sect Master is far-sighted; we are in awe!"

With such a divine object, all arguments regarding talent and Heart-Nature became a joke.

Under the Great Dao, all falsehoods have nowhere to hide.

[Ding! Detected that the Host has planned the Sect's development blueprint; the Sect is about to enter a stage of rapid expansion!]

[To ensure the Sect's foundation and teaching quality, a special reward is given: 10 Late Soul Transformation Stage characters (Absolute Loyalty)!]

Chu Xuanjin was enjoying the admiring gazes of everyone when the System notification suddenly sounded in his mind, making his whole body stiffen.

What on earth?

Again?

And ten at once?

Late Soul Transformation Stage?

He felt the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

In his heart, ten thousand Divine Beasts were galloping.

"You should have said so earlier!"

"If I knew that planning to open the mountain gates would grant me people, would I have wasted so much time talking nonsense with them?"

"This System is really... too thoughtful."

He forcibly suppressed the urge to complain in his heart, his face remaining unfathomable.

Just as everyone was still immersed in the shock of the heart-questioning dao stele...

Inside the hall, ten beams of light, even more brilliant than when the four including Shi Potian appeared, lit up out of thin air!

Ten figures with stable auras, all at the Late Soul Transformation Stage, appeared in the hall in perfect formation.

They wore various colored Daoist robes, including men and women, old and young; the only commonality was the absolute loyalty to Chu Xuanjin originating from their Divine Souls.

"We pay our respects to the Sect Master!"

The ten people knelt on one knee together, their voices shaking the hall.

This time, it wasn't just Yun Tianqing and Lin Canghai.

Even the three Elders Shi Potian, Tie Kuang, and Shen Qingyan were completely stunned.

They stared blankly at the ten newly appeared colleagues, feeling as if their brains weren't quite enough to process this.

What... what kind of situation was this?

Was the Sect Master... creating people out of thin air?

Or was it that there were really so many old monsters still locked in the Myriad Dao Divine Sect's Forbidden Ground?

Chu Xuanjin looked at the petrified faces below, feeling secretly pleased.

He cleared his throat and began appointing positions.

"Outer Sect Grand Elder Li Xiaoyao, you shall be the outer sect grand elder, overseeing all matters of the outer Sect."

A swordsman in green robes who looked young but had a hint of playfulness in his eyes stepped forward.

"This subordinate obeys!"

"Zhao Lingyue, you shall be the Inner Sect Grand Elder, responsible for the cultivation and assessment of Inner Sect Disciples."

A woman in white with a temperament like a moon palace Fairy, cold and refined, bowed in response.

"This subordinate obeys."

"The remaining eight will be our Sect's Teaching Mentors, overseeing the eight halls of Sword, Alchemy, Artifact, Array, Talisman, Body, Soul, and Beast Taming, responsible for teaching all internal and external Disciples."

"We obey the Sect Master's decree!"

The remaining eight people responded in unison.

Chu Xuanjin nodded with satisfaction.

The Elders of the four halls of Transmission, Law Enforcement, Alchemy, and Artifact were responsible for the Sect's strategy and core Legacy.

The Outer and Inner Sect Grand Elders were responsible for daily management.

The eight Teaching Mentors were responsible for specific instruction.

Add to that the two Branch Halls, responsible for external conquest and resource collection.

A management framework with a complete structure and clear division of labor, sufficient to support a super Sect, was thus established.

He looked at the high-level members of the Sect gathered in the hall, and his happiness as a hands-off manager reached its peak.

He waved his hand with a lazy posture.

"Very well, all matters are settled."

"I am tired; you may all disperse."

Everyone snapped out of their shock and bowed together.

"We respectfully see off the Sect Master!"

Chu Xuanjin's figure slowly faded and disappeared from the throne.

Inside the hall, the ten newly arrived Elders and the four including Shi Potian began to greet each other and familiarize themselves with each other's duties.

Yun Tianqing and Lin Canghai were politely "invited" to the side by Outer Sect Grand Elder Li Xiaoyao to discuss the specific regulations for the promotion assessments of the two Branch Halls' Disciples.

The entire Myriad Dao Divine Sect, like a precision machine that had just been filled with fuel, began to operate with an unprecedented and terrifying efficiency.

And the instigator of all this had already returned to the small courtyard in Qinghe City.

Lying on his rocking chair, he brewed himself a pot of newly bought Pre-Rain Longjing tea.

These days as a hands-off manager were truly... becoming more and more promising.